Odds and Ends – Friday January 11, 2019 – January 17, 2019

Waterboro, Maine (AP) – Authorities in Maine say a man broke into a home, had a bite to eat, watched TV and even got a car ride from his unsuspecting victim. The York County sheriff’s office said 35-year-old Derek Tarbox broke into a Waterboro home Sunday afternoon, took a shower, got dressed in the homeowner’s clothing and was watching television when the homeowner arrived. The intruder said he mistakenly thought the house belonged to a friend and asked for a ride home. The homeowner told authorities that seemed plausible, so he drove him to a house in Hollis, which actually belonged to Tarbox’s relatives. The victim later realized his home had been ransacked. Tarbox, who was arrested in Limrick, was due to be arraigned on burglary and other charges Wednesday. It was unclear if he has a lawyer.

Chipped tooth? No! Diner finds pearl in his oyster dish

New York (AP) – A lucky diner says he happened upon a pearl while eating an oyster dish at a famous New York City restaurant. Rick Antosh was out to lunch with a friend and ordered his usual at the Grand Central Oyster Bar on Dec. 5 – the $14.75 pan roast, a stew-like dish that includes six oysters. The 66-year-old tells the New York Post that he felt a small object rolling around his mouth after diving into the dish. “For a fraction of a second, there was terror,” Antosh told the Post. “Is it a tooth? Is it a filling?” The Edgewater, New Jersey, resident says it turned out to be a pea-sized pearl. He has not had the prize appraised. “I’ve been here 28 years,” said Sandy Ingber, the restaurant’s executive chef. “This is only the second time I’ve seen this happen. And we sell over 5,000 oysters on the half shell every day.” The occurrence of natural pearls in oysters is not well understood, but anecdotally it has been estimated at one in 10,000, according to Matthew W. Gray, an oyster physiologist at the University of Maryland. Antosh said he’s not yet sure what he’ll do with the find. “I will definitely come back and try to find more pearls,” he said. “You never know.”

Burger joint closes after video appears to show rat cooking

Honolulu (AP) – A Hawaii-based burger chain has closed a Honolulu restaurant for cleaning after a video posted to social media appeared to show a rat being cooked on the grill. Teddy’s Bigger Burgers has closed the Mapunapuna location and fired two employees who appeared in the Snapchat video. “We are horrified that a former teenage employee would conduct themselves in that way and make such a video of which we are investigating its authenticity,” said Richard Stula, the president of Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. The company initiated a “complete sanitization” and is replacing equipment and utensils at the fast-food restaurant after the video was shared with them several days ago, Stula said in the statement. “We will then send a corporate team in to inspect and complete a thorough audit of the location before it is allowed to re-open,” Stula said. The state Department of Health is scheduled to inspect the restaurant on Mapunapuna Street on Friday. The company is also contacting a licensed pest control operator to examine the restaurant for rodents, said Peter Oshiro, the state’s environmental health program manager. “DOH appreciates the remedial and proactive efforts undertaken by the restaurant owner to protect public health,” Oshiro said in a statement. The restaurant received a passing green placard following its last state inspection in June. The company is consulting with its attorneys about potential legal action against the former employees, Stula said. “We are horrified a former employee would create something like this trying to destroy our reputation without regard for our 20-plus years of quality and aloha,” he said.

Stolen purple penguin statue returned to hotel museum

Oklahoma City (AP) – A large purple penguin statue that was swiped from a hotel in Oklahoma City apparently managed to waddle back home after police released surveillance camera images of a man with the $3,000 piece of art tucked under his arm. Oklahoma City police on Friday announced that the statue, which disappeared Sunday night from the 21c Museum Hotel, had been “returned home.” No arrests have been announced. Hotel staff speculated that it was stolen by someone visiting a guest. Surveillance images show a man carrying the artwork by its head. The penguin is about two-thirds the height of the statue thief. A spokeswoman for the hotel said she was “thrilled the penguin has been returned to our flock”.